What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe in empathizing with the student and understanding their thought process better so that I can help them comprehend ideas easily.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

I would talk to them and get a feel for what they know, what they want help with, and the time frame and resources that are available. Then, I would run my own diagnostic test to see for myself how I can best help them by seeing their gaps in knowledge.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I think the best way to make a student an independent learner is, firstly, to motivate them by helping them understand what goal they're trying to achieve, and, secondly, to be as specific as possible about how they have to improve.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I would motivate students by reminding them of the necessity of education and all the rewards it brings, such as a comfortable life, good job, etc. And then, to make it seem less daunting, I would set specific goals to achieve within a certain time frame.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I would ask them to describe the concept in their own words so that I can figure out where the problem lies. For skills, I would encourage them to practice that skill as much as possible.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

I help them by going through each line of the passage with them and breaking down large ideas into their smaller building blocks of sentences and words. Then, I define unknown vocabulary and explain any unfamiliar idioms.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

I think getting to know the student better and getting on friendly terms with them is the most important thing to establish a cooperative and productive relationship.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?

I would show them the value that that subject has in real life. For example, for math, I would show them how powerful numbers are for solving real life problems, or the appeal of literature for defining the nature of life and existence for people through the ages.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

I would quiz them on the spot after I finished explaining it to them, and I would assign practice problems or test problems for them to do independently and see if I can find any systematic errors or if they're prone to mistakes, etc.

How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?

One way would be to use encouraging language and set small tasks that can be accomplished easily to create confidence, so that larger obstacles are completed with ease. The second way would be to assign many practice problems (after ensuring they understand the material) so that the difficult material becomes second nature to them.

How do you evaluate a student's needs?

I think talking to them casually and letting them articulate their own needs is the best way. Students usually know what their own problems are and if they are asked the right questions and can explain them to you so that you can target the areas that are weakest.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

I like to use sample problems that are difficult and illustrate the concept well so that the we can work through it together. I then use practice sets to assign homework. Other materials include test prep books, old tests, homework, incomplete classwork, etc.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?

I typically try to understand the personality of the student I'm working with. People who are extroverted typically like working out things with me in more of an ongoing conversation, whereas introverted students tend to appreciate being left to try for themselves after the concept is explained to them.